Personal Relaxation Coach

After a long, hard day at the office, it makes sense if you just want to kick off your shoes and de-stress right away. If you can’t really afford expensive spa treatments, the next best thing would be remedies that can be done at home – and this is where the Personal Relaxation Coach from Hammacher attempts to help.

This is the device used by the Mayo Clinic and Duke Medical Center to help patients reduce their stress and anxiety without medication. Synchronizing your breathing with the rise and fall of the device’s illuminated LEDs and audible cues has been shown to slow heart rate, improve relaxation, and reduce stress in as soon as five minutes. Relying on the same breathing techniques taught in yoga for relaxation and stress reduction, the relaxation coach takes a pulse reading from your thumb or earlobe and instantly develops a rhythmic breathing sequence for you to follow. About the size of an MP3 player, the device stores unobtrusively in a pocket, allowing convenient use before any potentially stressful event, such as a business meeting or prior to boarding a plane. Rechargeable battery lasts up to six hours after a three-hour charge.

A non-medication route, using lights to control your breathing? Would be nice to see the $199.95 you parted with for this include some sort of built-in aromatherapy segment for added effect.